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CYCLING – safety and tips

It is a well known fact that cyclists sharing a road with motorized vehicles and have a run-in or collision never win. Precautions can be taken, of which one of the most important ones is COLOUR, according to the mantra “Be Seen/Be Safe”. Bright clothing, such as yellow, hot pink, white and bright, or similar; and more importantly a white front light and a flashing red rear light. When I cycle, out of twenty or more cyclists I meet on the trails maybe one only has bike lights, and they are on. Better invest in a $20 light than loose your life. The second precaution is: “do not only rely on a rear view mirror (if any), but look over your shoulder frequently”. Meaning, do not rely on vehicle drivers paying attention to you as a cyclist. Be prepared ! [Most probably, the only reason that not many more cyclists are run down by cars is, that a car owner likes to avoid getting scratches in his nice paint coat.]
With the current heat wave it is also important to stay cool. A simple thing I do is, have a small scarf/kerchief around my neck, which I soak in cold water frequently. This prevents heat rising to your head and ‘knock you out’. In addition, any T shirt or tank top, also soak in cold water. Around here, we are lucky to find water fountains along the bike trails.